Thursday, November 6, 2008

Are you ready?

Are you ready for fall weather? We are supposed to be under a flood watch in our region this weekend, with the usual fall storms and some wind forecasted. Where I live it would be next to impossible to flood (on top of a tall hill, with ravines all around) but it is definitely a concern for people in the low lying areas. We are prone to windstorms, and of course earthquakes. Naomi and I were talking last week about how we both like to be self-sufficient in cases of power outages and the like and it made me think I should go through and update the supplies that we keep on hand.

It's fairly typical to have the power go out in our neighborhood. We basically live in the woods/surround by woods and so if someone sneezes too hard, our power just may go out! I thought it might be a good service to remind you all to see that you have enough supplies on hand to be able to take care of your own needs and even community needs if necessary in the case of something like the aftermath of a windstorm or earthquake or whatever disaster may happen in your area.

My first inclination was just to post a quick link to the American Red Cross or Ready.gov, but my favorite resource from them apparently has been taken off line. I have a 6-month (24-week) calendar helping you to get ready for pretty much any type of disaster. I'm thinking I will post each week here until I've gone through all 24 weeks. It's yours to choose to follow or ignore. I just know that when we had our power out for 5 days because of a windstorm a few years ago, I was really happy that I was prepared!

Okay, week one, if you choose to keep reading..... (note - there is an * after some items. That means you get one of these for each person living at your residence, or have spares to share)

GROCERY STORE

1 gallon of water*1 jar peanut butter

1 large can of juice*

1 can meat* (I'm flexible on this - sometimes I get bean less chili, tuna, or stew - you are after protein here)

1 hand-operated can opener

Permanent marking pen

Additional: pet food, diapers, baby food

Action steps:

- Date perishable items with marker (so you can rotate items in your pantry - I mark them 1 year out - you decide what's best for you!)

- Decide upon and notify out-of-area contact who can coordinate information for scattered family members

There is actual knitting content going on - I finished the back of the Tilia sweater and have cast on for the front. I hope to get the lace section done before heading off for the weekend so that I just have the stockinette section to work on in the car. I also have some giftie socks I'm working on (no picture) and am really liking short row heels now that I've figured them out.